The world's most successful movie franchise - James Bond, has been continuing its winning ways in strategic and intelligent product placement, and popular beer Heineken, appears to be one of the real winners in the latest Bond flick - Skyfall.

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Make no mistake - product placement helps funds great flicks and the switched on folks at James Bond HQ (and their advertising agency friends) are well aware of this... so are we.

Some news outlets have claimed that without the reported £45 million revenue Heineken poured into the film, Skyfall would not have gone ahead, but we don't have any way to get an accurate figure, so let's just continue shall we Bond fans.

We understand that with the the Dutch beer having forked out over £28m for the privilege of seeing Bond sip from a green bottle in an early scene helped cover almost a third of the film's estimated £93.7m ($150m) production budget in the process.

Bond (Daniel Craig) is a diplomatic spokesman and pitch-man of sorts on the issue of product placement, acknowledging that their reliance on brand associations is "unfortunate," before countering: "This movie costs a lot of money to make (and) nearly as much again to promote, so we go where we can."

That line is about as close as we're going to get to learning the film's actual marketing budget, given Sony Pictures International's track record is being reluctant to divulge details on such matters.

Fun financial fact: In 2006 it was reported that product placement across all media was worth over £3.3 billion.

Beer not your thing? According to Brandchannel, the most important "Skyfall" product placement isn't the beer Bond drinks but the gun he shoots!

Movie Plot Outline: Daniel Craig is back as Ian Fleming's James Bond 007 in Skyfall, the 23rd adventure in the longest-running film franchise of all time. In Skyfall, Bond’s loyalty to M is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost.

Promo...

Bond's loyalty to M is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost.

Bond legend Roger Moore, enthralled with ‘Skyfall,’ now thinks Daniel Craig is the best actor to play the legendary spy...

Moore, who began his stint as the action hound in the ’70s, once gave that honor to Sean Connery. ‘They’ve guaranteed Bond another 50 years of life,’ he said of the new film.

Bond alum Roger Moore used to think Sean Connery was the best James Bond, but now thinks that designation belongs to Daniel Craig.

"I went to a screening of ‘Skyfall,’ and I’ve changed my opinion. I think that he (Daniel Craig) is the Bond. He’s quite brilliant," Moore told TIME magazine.

Moore has been a fan of Craig’s ever since the opening scene of 2006’s “Casino Royale,” Craig’s first time in the role.

James Bond's world of movie intrigue explored in 'The Untold Story Of 007'...

“I thought ‘Casino Royale’ was tremendous,” Moore said. “I thought his action was quite extraordinary — he did more action in the first 30 seconds of the film than I did in 14 years of playing Bond. To me, he looks like a killer. He looks as though he knows what he’s doing. I look as though I might cheat at backgammon.”

Craig put his own spin on the iconic spy, just as Moore did when he first took over the role of 007 with 1973’s “Live and Let Die.”

On playing a role already associated with Connery, he said, “You don’t really think about that. How many millions of actors during the last 400 years have played Hamlet? They don’t worry about how the other fella did it — they just get on with doing it their way.”

Moore’s own way endeared his Bond to the public for seven consecutive films by Eon Productions. His third Bond film, “The Spy Who Loved Me,” is often considered his best, just as Connery’s third, “Goldfinger,” is often considered his.

Now Moore thinks Craig’s third performance is the best of the franchise.

"I wrote to Barbara (Broccoli) and Michael (Wilson) and said…they’ve guaranteed Bond another 50 years of life," he said.

Australia paid tribute to Skyfall with rain coming down on the red carpet outside Sydney's State Theatre last night.

The parallel was picked up by new Bond girl Berenice Marlohe.

"It is Skyfall," she said on Friday night, gesturing at the rain.

"I remember on set it was raining before a scene I had to do. And it is like an homage to Skyfall."

The weather did not put off hundreds of the Bond franchise's fans.

They jammed in like cattle or sardines if you prefer, behind barriers on the sidewalk to get pictures and autographs from Craig, Marlohe and fellow Bond girl Naomie Harris, who's on her first trip to Australia and said, "The reception makes it sunny".

"It's been a two month whirlwind of going all around the world promoting the movie, but it ends in Australia, so I finally have some free time on my hands and I'm going to spend it in Byron Bay," Harris said.

Craig, who visited Australia for Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, said he won't be doing any sightseeing this time around.

"This is the final leg," he said earlier.

"I spent like a week here the first time I came, so I've seen quite a lot.

"I always try and do something when I go to a new city."

Skyfall hasn't been released yet in Australia, but elsewhere in the world it's already grossed $446.5 million and is being pitched by critics as one of the very best Bond films.

Craig, who has admitted 2008's Quantum of Solace suffered from the writer's strike, was determined Skyfall, the 23rd film and released in Bond's 50th anniversary year, would be a step up.

"Just to be better," he said, about how he had wanted it to be different.

"So we kind of had a plan and Sam (Mendes, the director) and I had it from very early on that we wanted to make the best Bond movie we could, obviously, but to try and get some of ... the old style of it."

* Skyfall will be released in Australian cinemas on November 22.

News...

Skyfall is record breaking Bond movie...

The movie has broken records wherever it has been released.

It snatched the biggest US opening ever for a 007 movie at the weekend with a whopping $87.8 million in ticket sales.

Quantum of Solace debuted to a series-best $67.5 million in mid-November 2008, and Casino Royale - marking Craig's first turn as 007 - opened to $40.8 million in November 2006.

In the UK, the Sam Mendes-directed film has passed Titanic as the highest-grossing 2D film. The film opens Australia next Thursday.

The secret to Skyfall's success, according to exhibitors, is Craig's universal appeal.

"Women love him. Men love the action," said Samantha Philp, national film promotions and partnership manager at Event Cinemas.

Even seven-time Bond Roger Moore has given Craig the official stamp of approval, calling him the best Bond ever.

"To me, he looks like a killer. He looks as though he knows what he's doing. I look as though I might cheat at backgammon," he said.

Plot Outline: Daniel Craig is back as Ian Fleming's James Bond 007 in Skyfall, the 23rd adventure in the longest-running film franchise of all time. In Skyfall, Bond’s loyalty to M is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost.

Promo...

Bond's loyalty to M is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost.

Bond legend Roger Moore, enthralled with ‘Skyfall,’ now thinks Daniel Craig is the best actor to play the legendary spy...

Moore, who began his stint as the action hound in the ’70s, once gave that honor to Sean Connery. ‘They’ve guaranteed Bond another 50 years of life,’ he said of the new film.

Bond alum Roger Moore used to think Sean Connery was the best James Bond, but now thinks that designation belongs to Daniel Craig.

"I went to a screening of ‘Skyfall,’ and I’ve changed my opinion. I think that he (Daniel Craig) is the Bond. He’s quite brilliant," Moore told TIME magazine.

Moore has been a fan of Craig’s ever since the opening scene of 2006’s “Casino Royale,” Craig’s first time in the role.

James Bond's world of movie intrigue explored in 'The Untold Story Of 007'...

“I thought ‘Casino Royale’ was tremendous,” Moore said. “I thought his action was quite extraordinary — he did more action in the first 30 seconds of the film than I did in 14 years of playing Bond. To me, he looks like a killer. He looks as though he knows what he’s doing. I look as though I might cheat at backgammon.”

Craig put his own spin on the iconic spy, just as Moore did when he first took over the role of 007 with 1973’s “Live and Let Die.”

On playing a role already associated with Connery, he said, “You don’t really think about that. How many millions of actors during the last 400 years have played Hamlet? They don’t worry about how the other fella did it — they just get on with doing it their way.”

Moore’s own way endeared his Bond to the public for seven consecutive films by Eon Productions. His third Bond film, “The Spy Who Loved Me,” is often considered his best, just as Connery’s third, “Goldfinger,” is often considered his.

Now Moore thinks Craig’s third performance is the best of the franchise.

"I wrote to Barbara (Broccoli) and Michael (Wilson) and said…they’ve guaranteed Bond another 50 years of life," he said.